Like everyone else across the state, Riverheads and the visiting Bath County Chargers and their fans brought out the ponchos tonight for a November-like game as the homestanding Gladiators sloshed their way to a season-opening 49-0 victory. Actually we got pretty lucky with the weather as it did not actually rain on us until maybe the last five minutes.
Still you could tell from the get-go that the field or at least the ball caused each team problems, as each one coughed up a fumble on its first possession. Riverheads was the first to lose the ball, setting the visitors up in fine shape around midfield, but instead of taking advantage, the Chargers almost immediately lost it themselves and they never really threatened again.
In fact the first quarter was especially rough on Bath as they lost a second fumble and had a punt blocked, enabling Riverheads to jump out to a 14-0 lead. The Big Red, as expected, unleashed a whole stable full of running backs as unofficially their seven touchdowns came from six different players.
After assuming control of the game, RHS tested the waters with their passing game. Starting QB Tyler Smith definitely seems to have the arm, and back-up Justin McWhorter shows promise as well, but the timing is just not there yet, so even though they threw 6-8 passes on their second-quarter drives, all three TDs still came on the ground as the teams went to the locker room with the Big Red ahead 35-0.
The 2000 State Championship team, a number of whom were in attendance, were among the honorees for this year's Hall of Fame class, which was saluted at halftime. That team was the only Riverheads team in school history to have an undefeated season, as they finished 14-0. The Gladiators other three state title teams (2006, 2010, and 2016) were each 13-1.
The running clock came into play for the entire second half, which probably suited most of the fans just fine, given the weather conditions, and the Big Red added a single touchdown in each quarter. As the game wound down, everyone got into the game, including a stretch by a third quarterback, Drew Bond, who is generally a receiver.
The Gladiator TDs came from Dalton Jordan, who scored twice, with single scores added by Jackson Shover, Devin Morris, freshman Zac Smiley, Blake Smith, and Thomas Hepstall. Once again this season, Coach Casto appears to have successfully recruited a kicker from the soccer team, as sophomore Peyton Skillman was a perfect 7 for 7. If he continues to kick like that for the rest of this season and two more, there will be a spot in the record books for him when all is said and done.
Coach Casto seemed pleased in the post-game interview, and the Gladiators will certainly be a force to reckon with this year. Yes, there were some clock management issues and some penalties that kept it from being a "perfect" game, but those can be attributed to the combination of the weather, being the first game of the season, and the constant shuffling in and out of players.
Most of those issues will likely be straightened out in time for next week's big showdown at the Draft. I personally will miss that one, so I hope someone else will step in for me and write a nice review on it. The Big Red then returns home for a date with East Rock on the 15th, another team that sounds like it means business this year.
Still you could tell from the get-go that the field or at least the ball caused each team problems, as each one coughed up a fumble on its first possession. Riverheads was the first to lose the ball, setting the visitors up in fine shape around midfield, but instead of taking advantage, the Chargers almost immediately lost it themselves and they never really threatened again.
In fact the first quarter was especially rough on Bath as they lost a second fumble and had a punt blocked, enabling Riverheads to jump out to a 14-0 lead. The Big Red, as expected, unleashed a whole stable full of running backs as unofficially their seven touchdowns came from six different players.
After assuming control of the game, RHS tested the waters with their passing game. Starting QB Tyler Smith definitely seems to have the arm, and back-up Justin McWhorter shows promise as well, but the timing is just not there yet, so even though they threw 6-8 passes on their second-quarter drives, all three TDs still came on the ground as the teams went to the locker room with the Big Red ahead 35-0.
The 2000 State Championship team, a number of whom were in attendance, were among the honorees for this year's Hall of Fame class, which was saluted at halftime. That team was the only Riverheads team in school history to have an undefeated season, as they finished 14-0. The Gladiators other three state title teams (2006, 2010, and 2016) were each 13-1.
The running clock came into play for the entire second half, which probably suited most of the fans just fine, given the weather conditions, and the Big Red added a single touchdown in each quarter. As the game wound down, everyone got into the game, including a stretch by a third quarterback, Drew Bond, who is generally a receiver.
The Gladiator TDs came from Dalton Jordan, who scored twice, with single scores added by Jackson Shover, Devin Morris, freshman Zac Smiley, Blake Smith, and Thomas Hepstall. Once again this season, Coach Casto appears to have successfully recruited a kicker from the soccer team, as sophomore Peyton Skillman was a perfect 7 for 7. If he continues to kick like that for the rest of this season and two more, there will be a spot in the record books for him when all is said and done.
Coach Casto seemed pleased in the post-game interview, and the Gladiators will certainly be a force to reckon with this year. Yes, there were some clock management issues and some penalties that kept it from being a "perfect" game, but those can be attributed to the combination of the weather, being the first game of the season, and the constant shuffling in and out of players.
Most of those issues will likely be straightened out in time for next week's big showdown at the Draft. I personally will miss that one, so I hope someone else will step in for me and write a nice review on it. The Big Red then returns home for a date with East Rock on the 15th, another team that sounds like it means business this year.
